AXIS for Bohlen-Pierce Scale (Part 4)

[Voitcu]

C to G to D to A to E to B to F# to C# to G# to D# to A# to F and finally back to C. Is why the black keys are where they are (notice there are no #s between B&C, nor E&F) which is derived from the "Harmonic Series"-- a phenomenon that when you play a note, you also hear the 5th degree of that note as well (amongst few others), called Overtones (hence the "Circle of Fifths) -- and also why there are 12 tones in Western civilization. Interestingly the Formula 3-7-12 is found everywhere in nature.

[Synapsenkitzler]

whoo, really strange, unique emotions comes to this scale. :)

[Brocattoroo]

The Bohlen-Pierce scale composition, your approach to it, and the new construction you've formulated on the AXIS that is designed to correspond to the scale are all astonishing and genius in my opinion! Unfortunately for myself, I've yet to even master the theory of more western octave-repeating intervals, so i can't even imagine moving onto this yet. ::(

[NorrisChuckling]

You seem to like 5 note groupings.

[Edman275]

I honestly have no idea how you were able to write such an awesome song given such a weird scale.

Also, I heard "love song" before I saw this video and I had a totally different conception of how you wrote it. I kind of had it in my head that you were raised by a family of eccentric musicians that kept you from music and only introduced you to the bohlen pierce scale so that you could become the master of it -- Not really, but awesome all the same.

[majorx222]

Hey that second piece you played really sounded great. Was that also on the BP scale? How's it called? Is it yours?

[Kneenibble]

Hi,

Thanks very much for posting and speaking so much about the Bohlen-Pierce Scale and your experiments. It's stimulated some serious intellectual curiosity in me I intend to explore.

[lumin750]

what piano patch are you running it through? sounds like an 80 year old player piano

[miselaineeous]

lol. I don't remember what patch it is.. I'm using a software program called microtuner that can microtune the quicktime instruments.. so there isn't much to choose from. ;)

[snevelin]

but yeah, you should upload some demos of it sometime. Automatic Gainsay had one up on VSE but the more demos the better!

[miselaineeous]

haha. but it takes me 20 minutes to just get a "normal" sound every time I turn it on.. turn it off and on, and it forgets what it was doing. It's hilarious. It's so awful, I love it. They used to call it the "Chronic 6" for a reason. :) But ok.. someday I will do some demos. They will be like comedy routines more likely. It sounds great though.. dirty and unpredictable.. juicy and fattt.

[snevelin]

Well yeah, that's typical for an analogue. They usually go into tune when you let them warm up.

Calibrating however... a nightmare.

But cheers anyway, if you're going to do demos.

[snevelin]

*misread.

Fucking hell, not awake tonight.

[miselaineeous]

LOL :)

[snevelin]

Nevermind, read the comment. Heh.

[snevelin]

A moog sonic six behind you eh? Nice one.

[miselaineeous]

a SIGNED Moog Sonic 6. ;-)

They used to call it the "Chronic 6" because it is so hard to use, and I do agree. I love it though. I have just recorded HOURS of improvising on it and am chopping it up for some new tunes.

[snevelin]

You sure it wasn't the Sonic V by MuSonics before that?

Moog bought it and redesigned it as the Sonic 6, although I may need to look it up more.

[veggieburgerfish]

you aer brilliant. This is so interesting. I love researching random musical concepts on the internet and this is by the most interesting I have ever come across. Lol I'm 15 so I don't quite understand everything, but I think ?I sorta get it. :)

[Sherbrick]

Wow I've been looking for some sample BP stuff for a while now and this is amazing... Makes me really want to get one of those keyboards, or build my own, or something... Thanks for posting these videos, Elaine! You're on the cutting edge of music science.

[w0r1dpeace]

this. is. awesome!!!

[raw420x]

I just love this ... the BP scale, I had no idea until I found your site.... I took music theory in 1985.... Then quickly gave it up for a career... now recently rediscovering a whole new music theory , so to speak...... it's "mantastic... ha ha ha

[bitbutter]

"musicians were the wrong people to ask" lol!

[nonoctave]

Hi Elaine! This was the best installment so far. What's the story behind your Atlas Missile mug?

[miselaineeous]

ha! Well.. I am a space nut through and through. I got that at some space conference or other. :)

[randyhelzerman]

"What do you mean why do we use this scale??"" Ha that's always how it is with our deepest cultural assumptions. We don't think about them at all, much less do we recotnize them as assumptions. You are amazingly creative.

[miselaineeous]

haha, thanks randy! Yeah, I definitely like to get to the bottom of things. :)